Comfort of the Sun
by Librius
Summary: In the aftermath of the battle of Sekigahara, a broken and wounded Tsuruhime lays on rocky grounds surrounded by corpses and is prepared to accept death. But she finds hope and comfort in the form of the sun, or rather, its child. Slight Tsuruhime x Mori


**A/N: I didn't really care much for Sengoku Basara at one point but when I took the time to watch the whole anime, I loved it and it sliced its way(no pun intended) to equaling Dragonball Z as my number one favourite anime of all time. Which makes me a bit upset also because there's not really alot of fics on this, but I have faith that there will be alot in future someday.**

**Disclaimer: This is my first attempt at a Sengoku Basara fic. Sengoku Basara and all of its characters etc aswell as the cover Image of the story belong to their rightful owners, I only own the plot of this fic.**

**Summary: In the aftermath of the battle of Sekigahara, a broken and wounded Tsuruhime lays on rocky grounds surrounded by corpses and is prepared to accept death. But she finds hope and comfort in the form of the sun, or rather, its child.**

Dark clouds hovered above the quiet plains of Sekigahara, while silent, the sound of the wind was all that filled the air, rain showered down and soaked the former battlefield in water. Looking back at everything that took place during the battle, Tsuruhime recalled the final events, in which Ieyasu Tokugawa and Mitsunari Ishida clashed in a colossal battle.

_"Ieyasu...are you prepared to face the judgement, of lord Hideyoshi?" Mitsunari said as he reached for the hilt of his blade._

_There was no reply, instead, the warrior in yellow looked at the ground and closed his eyes. "The only judgement I will face...is the judgement of those who would frown upon me should I fail to bring peace to the land of the rising sun! Lord Hideyoshi was a powerful man, and although he claimed his goal was to unite the land, the way he went about doing it was wrong! And so I HAD to put an end to him, his brutality would only ensure everlasting chaos!"_

_Mitsunari unsheathed his katana and pointed it at the lord of Mikawa. "You know NOTHING of my lord Hideyoshi! You dare speak of such drivel, yet you yourself have gone so far as to let war rage on throughout the land! FOOL! You claim your goal is to unite the land, but because of your selfish desires, YOUR PERSISTENCE, you refuse to let the land be at peace unless YOU'RE the one leading it! Selfish! Unforgivable! I will NOT let you walk free on this planet and attempt to unite the land under your rule while lord Hideyoshi watches from above. Ieyasu Tokugawa, PREPARE YOURSELF!"_

_Ieyasu let out a saddened but firm sigh. "I understand. I wanted to avoid this needless fight, but you have left me with no choice. I swore to unite the land, and I will face any obstacle that threatens to stop me. Even you, Mitsunari. Come, let us see which of us deserves to truly rule this land."_

_In the battlefield not too far from where they stood, Tsuruhime lay against a large rock with her hand against her shoulder and watched as the two warriors charged at each other. The moment they collided, a large blinding light exploded around them, engulfing them, her and many of the troops around the battlefield._

The oracle kept her eyes open as the rain continuously failed to hit them, allowing her to clearly see the dark sky above. "So much death..." She muttered to herself. It was true though, that because of her secluded life, she was never aware that all of this chaos had been going on throughout the land of the rising sun. And now that it all ended, in bloodshed, she was left in a state of shock. So much had happened, during her time growing up, how was she not aware of all of this?

"Why can't people just help each other..." She said to herself. "Instead of killing each other."

Tsuruhime did not know what sadness meant, because she had always lived a happy life away from battle. But after seeing Ieyasu and Mitsunari face each other, after seeing one of them fall and the other walk away in grief, she immediately understood it. She was sad, she was sad because someone killed their former friend, she couldn't even begin to imagine how he was feeling when he delivered the killing blow. She was sad because he was forced to do so, and she was sad because the other died due to misguided loyalty. She was sad, because everything ended in a great tragedy that could have been avoided.

"I wish it never ended this way...but it's too late to change anything now..." Tsuruhime sat up a little and looked at her blood stained clothes. She had several wounds all over her body and a fatal wound to her right shoulder. Everyone else was dead, and all of the survivors had left to return to their homes, no one had found her because she most likely appeared to be dead at the time if they did, in which case, she was unconscious and when she woke up, the battlefield was empty and it was raining. All Tsuruhime could do now was lay on the ground and bleed to death, since no one was obviously around to help her.

Just then, a faint sound catches her ears. She weakly turns her head and notices a lone figure in the distance, slowly approaching her. As the figure got closer, she immediately identified him. Dressed all in green with a long green helmet and armour on his arms that went from his shoulder to past his hands, and a large ring blade hanging around his shoulder. She smiled slightly as he reached her. "Motonari..."

Mori Motonari, he was one of the leaders of the Western Army, alongside Mitsunari and Yoshitsugu. Just like Yoshitsugu, he had tricked Tsuruhime into joining the Western Army, yet, at the same time, he did no such thing, after all, when it came down to it, Motonari hadn't even spoken a word to her or even saw her except maybe during a war council. His forces were the second last to enter into the battlefield, and he, with his brilliant tactics, managed to push the Eatern Army back for a good while before being pushed back himself by the combined forces of Date, Tokugawa and Iyokono. The outcome of the battle left his entire army almost destroyed, the remaining troops of his forces immediately fled when news of Mitsunari's death reached his ears, after all, it was a losing battle if the enemy outnumbered them and his allies were destroyed.

Finally, after a few long minutes, Motonari set his narrowed eyes on the broken form of Tsuruhime, who hadn't moved an inch. "I see you're still alive...oracle."

Tsuruhime looked at him, there was a good number of blood stains on Motonari's clothes and armour, and he had a cut on his face, but he shrugged it off as if he didn't even care. "What are you looking at?" Motonari's tone was the same usual one it had always been.

After another long minute had past, she spoke. "Are you wounded?"

"Hmph..." Motonari turned his back to her. "A ridiculous question. If you're going to speak such foolishness, ask yourself that."

She was in no position to get angry, but she couldn't anyway, not her, not the oracle, she never knew the meaning of anger. Except when she found out she was being used by Yoshitsugu and Motonari. "No..." She said to herself. In all fairness, even she knew Motonari hadn't used her, although he did plan things with Yoshitsugu, he had absolutely nothing to do with her.

Just then, she noticed Motonari was about to start walking away, she immediately spoke up. "Wait...!"

He stopped. "What?"

Tsuruhime remained silent and tried to think of something to say to him. "I'm sorry."

There was another pause. Finally, Motonari looked over his shoulder at her. "What was that?"

After taking in a deep breath, she said it out louder. "I'm sorry."

And then there was another pause. Eventually, Motonari fully faced her. "And what, pray tell, have you done that you would need to apologise for?"

Tsuruhime faced him. "Because I accused you of using me for your own goals..." She turned away and closed her eyes. "When in reality, it was really just Yoshitsugu...you had nothing to do with it, and for that, I'm sorry."

Motonari's eyes remained narrow as he replied. "Apologise if you see fit, I don't care if you believed me to be involved in that fools plans or not."

The girl let out a little chuckle. "That's what I'd expect to hear...from you of all people."

Finally, Motonari slowly made his way over to the oracle and stopped when he stood next to her body. "What is it you want? To be put out of your misery? I have no problems ridding the land of another pawn."

Tsuruhime looked up at him and noticed him lowering his ring blade, he was serious. But she wasn't scared. "Yes...please do."

His eyes remained the same, but it would take a master to notice the fragment of surprise that filled Motonari's eyes. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No...please...kill me." She said. "After all, there's no point in living in a world filled with sadness and bloodshed." She then smiled and looked up at him.

Motonari slightly raised a brow as he saw tears pour down Tsuruhime's face. "Please...just end my pain. I can't stand this, I just want to be free from all of the chaos." She added.

Silence followed, the loudest sound that they could hear was the rain tapping against Motonari's armour. Eventually, he raised his ring blade and kept his narrow eyes on her.

Tsuruhime closed her eyes and waited for the killing strike. A few long seconds past and she felt nothing, nothing except the raindrops that continued to hit her face. She opened her eyes and saw Motonari still standing there, looking down at her with those same emotionless eyes, and his ring blade lowered. "Why?" She muttered out.

Motonari let out a low sigh. "Because, at this point, it doesn't matter how many more lives I take."

After remaining silent for another long minute, she spoke again. "Motonari?"

He faced her. "Why do people always fight? Why do people kill each other?" She asked.

"Because..." He turned his back to her. "Because it is in their nature. For years, people have fought amongst themselves, and they continue to do so because some have their own desires, some have ambitions, while others simply fight to defend themselves."

Tsuruhime watched as he dropped his ring blade. She then replied. "What about fighting to protect those you love?"

Motonari turned to face her. "That is a trivial thing. Just like the wild animals in this world, we humans fight amongst ourselves to better our lives. It is survival of the fittest, whether you're an animal, or a human."

She remained silent for a moment and then continued. "Why do you fight, Motonari?"

The lord of Aki looked at her once again and gave her an annoyed glare. "Why I fight, is not your concern."

"It is...because I want to know." She replied. "Please tell me."

He let out a frustrated sigh, but eventually, Motonari kneeled down next to Tsuruhime and gave her an answer. "I fight...because it is my duty to my clan. I fight so I can preserve peace for Aki. For as long as I can remember, it has always been my duty to fight, and to use my ingenuity to bring down all those who threaten my land. Even after today, I will continue to do so, no matter who invades my lands, be it Tokugawa, Takeda, Date, or even Chosokabe or Maeda, I will obliterate them all with the power of the sun. You would do well to remember that, oracle."

Just then, he could feel something, Motonari looked down to see Tsuruhime's hand on his knee. "Remove your hand from my person immediately." He said.

"No...I understand your burden all too well." She replied.

Motonari lowered his own hand and removed hers from his knee. "What drivel do you speak of now?"

Tsuruhime smiled again. "You know what I speak of. You're forcing yourself to be the person you are today, hoping it will be the right path you need to take in order to accomplish your own goals. But you're trying to complete your goals, alone."

"Hm..." He turned his head away from her. "And what is your point? My goals are my concern, not yours oracle, don't stick your nose in business that isn't yours. Aki is my burden and my burden alone, I care not for fate of other lands."

She sighed. "That is what I'm talking about. You're always trying to reach your goals by yourself, that's what you have always been doing. You don't know what it's like to have someone care for you, you don't know what it's like to have someone worry about you when you head into battle."

After letting out another low sigh, he replied. "And? What is your point?"

"All I'm saying is...you're just following your heart Motonari. I understand, I just think, it would be nice if you could just open up to someone, someone who could carry that burden with you, take some of the pressure off of your shoulders. I promise, if you did, you would be very happy, just like me."

Motonari glared at her. "And what if I don't want to be happy?"

"Don't say that..."

Suddenly, he caught her taking his hand into her own. "Release my hand oracle."

Tsuruhime shook her head. "It's warm...just like the sun."

Her words caught him by surprise, but he didn't show it. She felt sorry for him, because he continued to seal himself away from everyone, it was no wonder that Motonari was the cold hearted person he was today. "The only person someone can change, is themselves. But I'd like to believe that they can help someone else change aswell."

Motonari watched as she placed his hand on her face. "I don't have time to waste with this foolishness, what are you trying to say oracle?"

Finally, she stared back into his eyes. "I want to help you, I've never known loneliness because I've always had friends by my side. But the thought of someone like you being alone for the rest of your life..." She stopped and took in a deep breath. "It frightens me."

"Frightens you?" Motonari replied with a brow raised. "Why do you care about what happens to me?"

She let out a slight chuckle. "Because...I care about you. You don't know what it's like to be happy because you've never had anyone be there for you." She tightened her grip around his hand. "So I'll care for you."

Motonari closed his eyes and sighed once more. "You are in no position to care for anyone but yourself. While it is foolish, I will admit, I am surprised that you would think about someone else like me instead of yourself while in your current state."

Just then, Motonari put his arm around Tsuruhime and lay her head on his lap. "You have lived a happy life away from war, in a land where everyone smiles and laughs. You have it much easier than most, not everyone can be like you oracle."

She looked up at him and lowered her smile. "It's not hard...why can't you try?"

"Because...there's nothing to smile or laugh about...although, I understand where you are coming from. But understand this, oracle, in life, there is always going to be events that will cause pain, sorrow or anger. Your entire life won't always be a happy one, because you will encounter challenges along the way, and to ensure your life remains the peaceful one that you wish it to be, you must fight and succeed against those challenges. It is your own desire to help others, and while others may share it, not everyone has the same desires as you, but you can be proud of yourself as you may leave a good impression on your people, and it may lead them to be just like you." Motonari explained.

Tsuruhime smiled at his words and snuggled into him, despite the cold rain, she felt comfortable and warm thanks to his body heat. "Just like the sun..." She muttered. Eventually, due to her wounds and too much blood loss, she drifted into unconsciousness.

Motonari looked down at her and sighed. "Oracle...not everyone can be like you." He moved her onto the ground so he could get up to his feet. "You are brave...to face such chaos at your age. But at the same time, foolish." He said.

After waiting for a short minute, Motonari picked up Tsuruhime and carried her bridal style away from the corpse filled plains. She wasn't heavy either, but it didn't surprise him, she was short after all.

As he walked on, he noticed the rain had stopped, and a light was beginning to shine through the dark clouds. Motonari remained where he stood with Tsuruhime in his arms and watched as the dark clouds began to dissipate, slowly revealing a light blue sky and the shining sun itself. "Great sun...you smile upon me now?" He said as he looked up at the sun with his narrowed eyes.

He then set his eyes on the unconscious form of Tsuruhime. With a sigh, he walked on. "I see now."

* * *

Darkness. That was all Tsuruhime saw, but as she started to become aware again, she could feel herself on something soft. She turned around back and forth, but no matter what position she lay in, she was still comfortable. Finally, she opened her eyes. She wasn't outside, she wasn't in Sekigahara, she was home.

"W-What...?" She was in her room lying in her futon, which meant she was back in her home, in Iyokono. "But how?"

Just then, someone rushed into her room, it was one of her officers. "Little Crane! You're awake!"

"Where...how did I get here?" She asked.

Her officer kneeled down next to her and replied. "We found you on the shores just lying right outside the village. You were wounded and covered in blood so we brought you in and patched you up."

"I was unconscious...how did I get here exactly?" She asked again.

"I don't know..." Her officer replied. "We just found you lying outside."

Tsuruhime sighed and sat up. "Take it easy little crane. Your wounds were just patched up hours ago."

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked.

Her officer stood up. "About nine hours."

"Nine hours..." She slowly got out of her futon and walked to the large door of her room and opened it. She covered her eyes immediately as a blinding light shot into her room.

After regaining her sight, she looked up at the bright sun in the clear light blue sky. Birds were flying and the sound of the ocean going back and forth filled the air, she smiled a little as she set her eyes on the peaceful shores. "So calm, and peaceful, like it has always been."

"Little Crane?" Her officer spoke again.

Tsuruhime looked at the ground. "I'm a little hungry, I haven't eaten in a while."

"Oh! I'll go and get you something right now little crane!" Her officer said and immediately rushed out of the room.

After he left, Tsuruhime looked up at the sun again and closed her eyes as she felt herself getting warm from its light. It was no different from when she was cuddling into Motonari.

"Motonari!" She remembered now. That was how she ended up back in Iyokono, it all made sense now.

She breathed in the fresh air and smiled as she looked up at the sun again. No wonder he worshipped the sun, they were both warm, and she knew it better than anyone else.

Feeling its heat now, she remembered it as the same heat she felt when she was in his arms.

Motonari was just like the sun.

Tsuruhime lifted her head up until she was looking at the sky and closed her eyes. "Just like the sun." She said with a smile.

**Authors Notes: Well that was a nice short story that I had to get off my chest, I'm really glad I wrote this though, when I played the game, I really did think that there could of been a nice bond or something between Motonari and Tsuruhime. It is an unexpected pairing, but that's what makes it interesting, anyway, I already have two other Sengoku Basara stories planned out, one of them is another One-shot and the other one is a very long story that will star characters who deserved alot of spotlight in the anime series. Please Review, feedback is always appreciated, hope you enjoyed the fic!**


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